by Victoria Tiegert

Created on: November 03, 2009

From the beginning of time, the adolescent years have always been some of the most difficult that a person will ever have to go through. There are so many changes taking place in every area of the young person's life. There are mental changes, physical developments, hormonal changes, emotions that are in a whirlwind, and their social lives are taking on new aspects, as well. For many teens, all of these changes can be far more than a little bit overwhelming. This generation of teens have it even harder than many of those in generations past. There have been increases in teen violence, drug and alcohol use, and sexual activity, while there have been decreases in family values, educational standards, and moral absolutes.

We are, as a society, seeing more and more teens that are dealing with anxiety disorders, some medically diagnosed and others that are obvious with or without a doctor's label placed on them. The symptoms of anxiety disorders can very from person to person and there are many different signs that can be watched for. According to Medical News Today, the most common symptoms of anxiety are the following:

Trembling

Churning stomach

Nausea

Diarrhea

Headache

Backache

Heart palpitations

Numbness or "pins and needles" in arms, hands or legs

Sweating/flushing

Restlessness

Easily tired

Trouble concentrating

Irritability

Muscle tension

Frequent urination

Trouble falling or staying asleep

Being easily startled

Obviously, these symptoms would be very difficult to live with, most especially during the adolescent years. There can be many causes of anxiety disorders, more even than the number of symptoms, but there are some that are especially common among teens.

*Peer Pressure and Stress-There is so much peer pressure today, quite probably far more than there was in years past. Teens are encountering pressure to do the things that most of us did, such as smoking, drinking, sex, and general "partying", but there are many other things that are fairly new on the teen scene, like self-mutilation, very dangerous chemically based homemade narcotic substances, raves, and other things. The stress of these choices can be very overwhelming, as the pressure is almost constant for many teens.

*Fitting In-All teens want to find a group that they feel like they fit in with. When a teen feels like they can't find this place, they can become very anxious and begin to display the signs of a true anxiety disorder.

*Educational/Academic Stress-Academic stress is very difficult

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